Throw a cherry on top

Sanguis started playing with his Blood Crystal broadsword. He felt as though the broadsword had become a part of himself. Having an extension of himself in his hand felt amazing to Sanguis.

Han Shuo had removed all impurities from the Blood Crystal and reshaped it to be a broadsword. But since Han Shuo did not know the uses of Blood Crystal in too much detail, that was all that he could do. Sanguis had to figure out the rest on his own.

“It's up to you to find out how to form a bond with the weapon. The usual technique of dripping your blood in it probably won’t work in this case. You’ll have to figure that out by yourself,” Han Shuo said to Sanguis after thinking for a moment.

“I don’t have to do that; It has already become a part of me!” replied Sanguis excitedly. The broadsword then abruptly disappeared into Sanguis as he chuckled. Then, a moment later, the broadsword reappeared from his chest and flew into his hand.

Being able to store a demonic weapon in his body meant that Sanguis had successfully connected to it. Although Han Shuo had absolutely no clue how Sanguis managed to accomplish that, he was very happy for Sanguis.

Han Shuo nodded and said, “Very good. You have now truly become the master of the broadsword. You may give it a name. Make sure to learn and explore all its uses!” Han Shuo thought for a moment and continued, “Every precious demonic weapon possesses an infinite potential to evolve. Once a demonic weapon improves to a certain level, a spirit will take shape. You should keep an eye on that. This broadsword is much more bizarre than Bollands’ flying sword. It seems likely to form a spirit of its own.”

“Yes, Master. I will do as you say!” Sanguis maneuvered his broadsword to squirm around his body as he explored the uses of the weapon. He tried to form an even deeper connection with the broadsword using Bloodgod Mantra.

Sanguis tirelessly communicated with his broadsword. He was so engrossed in the new weapon that he seemed to have forgotten that Han Shuo was beside him.

Standing not far away, Rose continued to stare fixedly at Han Shuo.

Han Shuo had long noticed Rose’s presence. After giving Sanguis some instructions, he walked to Rose with a faint smile and asked, “What’s the matter?

Rose did not answer and continued to stare at Han Shuo. After a long long while, Rose softly exhaled as though trying to cast away the shock in her heart. She softly asked, “So you also know how to refine weapons?”

Han Shuo half-shrugged and replied, “Well, I’m just an amateur. It’s nothing to write home about.”

“The way I see it, it’s the exact opposite! I have never seen or heard of anyone who can refine a weapon in the manner you did just now. Your weapon-smelting skills are marvelous. In fact, I would even say that you are just as skillful in refining weapons as you are in refining medicines!”

Han Shuo was known to be a genius pharmacist in the Darkness Dominion. All those who were acquainted with Han Shuo knew that he was extremely talented in refining medicines but none of them knew that he was also talented at refining weapons. If Rose did not happen to catch Han Shuo in the act, perhaps even she would remain oblivious to it.

It was only at this point in time that Rose realized that all those miraculous divine weapons she saw on Han Shuo were produced by Han Shuo himself. During their assault on Hushveil City, Rose had seen Han Shuo utilize various weapons of mass destruction against a large number of divine guards who pursued them. She observed that those unique and deadly weapons were quite different from the conventional divine weapons. She had been wondering where Han Shuo found such a strange but supreme artisan to make all those weapons for him.

But finally, the question became clear to Rose.

Being a gifted pharmacist has made Bryan reputable in the Darkness Dominion. If people learned that Bryan is also brilliantly gifted in the arts of weapon refinement, it will surely shock the entire Elysium! thought Rose.

With just one look at Rose, Han Shuo knew what was going on in her head. Han Shuo did not want people to know too many of his secrets, so he said to her, “It’s not as miraculous as you imagined. It’s just some simple, amateur techniques.”

Rose looked intently at Han Shuo. After a while, she put on a faint smile and demanded, “Well then, I hope you will make me a weapon too. A simple and crude one will do!”

Han Shuo bunched his brows at Rose for a moment before he replied, “The energy you cultivate in is very different from mine. Even if I made you a weapon, without understanding the energy that Sanguis and I cultivate, the weapon will be next to useless to you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I still want one. Any type of weapon will do. Your weapon refining techniques are marvelous. I want to watch you do it again!” demanded Rose persistently. She was determined to make Han Shuo refine her a weapon despite his reluctance.

As Han Shuo’s slave, Rose had been very cooperative and had served him well. Han Shuo was poor at rejecting his allies’ requests, especially those who had been helpful to him. Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Han Shuo forced a smile and nodded.

“Fine, I will make you one now. Hmm, alright, here, cut a finger and fill this bottle to the middle with your blood,” instructed Han Shuo as he took out a glass container and handed it to Rose.

Rose was happy that Han Shuo agreed to her demand albeit perplexed by his instruction. She couldn’t understand why Han Shuo needed her blood to produce a weapon. However, she did not raise her doubts to Han Shuo.

A single strand of her silky silver hair pierced the skin on her left index finger. Drop by drop, guided by the strand of her hair, her blood fell into the glass container. Minutes later, the container was half-filled with her red blood. She handed the container to Han Shuo.

After taking the bottle of blood from Rose, Han Shuo began refining Pearls of Annihilation in front of her. He took out all sorts of rare rocks before baking them into reddish-brown spheres under an intense flame. The Pearls of Annihilation that were forming were around the size of an eyeball. They were glossy and faintly shimmering.

Rose’s fresh blood was slowly infused into the Pearls drop by drop. A fiery red light came from the center of the Pearls as though a fire had been ignited inside those Pearls. They looked like glossy pearls that contained burning fires. They were eye-catching and beautiful.

Just like Sanguis, Rose seemed very excited to receive her weapon. When Han Shuo placed those Pearls of Annihilation in Rose’s hand, she sensed a very faint but real connection with them, which came as quite a surprise to her.

“As you cultivate in an energy different from mine and your blood has not been condensed through unique means, you will only have a weak connection with these Pearls. However, as weak as the connection is, you can still remotely detonate the Pearls just by…,” explained Han Shuo.

Through that weak connection, Rose could effortlessly detonate her Pearls of Annihilation from several hundred meters away. If used correctly, the Pearls could even prove to be a lifesaver during an emergency.

However, it appeared that Rose had no intention of making practical use of the Pearls. It seemed as though she had taken the Pearls of Annihilation as a magnificent handicraft article. At Rose’s insistence, Han Shuo had no choice but to make holes in the Pearls with his demonic yuan and chain the Pearls into a bracelet using the elastic veins of a magical beast.

Rose was very content. She fiddled with the bracelet like a child.

Han Shuo was left between laughter and tears when he saw that Rose had taken the Pearls as an ornament. He wasn’t sure if Rose has listened to his detailed explanation at all. He thought, Women’s minds are simply unfathomable. Nevermind that these pearls are utterly destructive! As long as they're pretty!

***

Half a month came and went. One after another, the participating companies from the other six Corps arrived at Soaring Cloud Mountain Range.

Naturally, those from the House of Sainte, as the ruler of the City of Shadows and the organizer of the event, would not be absent. Wallace, Andre, Carmelita and others arrived at the Mountain Range.

Three of the Seven Divine Guard Corps belonged to the House of Kinson, House of Kisa, and House of Buller. As the competition could affect the interests of their family clans, members of those three large family clans also came to the Mountain Range as observers. They would usually hang around with their Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Corps respectively. The Soaring Cloud Mountain Range was suddenly alive.

Those from the Seven Corps took their places in seven separate regions around the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range throughout the competition. Wallace and Andre had divided and assigned those regions ahead of time. Members and representatives from the large family clans, Wallace included, would stay at the center-most region of the Mountain Range. They were in charge of handling any accidents throughout the competition.

Those newly arrived at the Mountain Range were astounded when they saw Han Shuo’s company. With great vigilance they stared up and down at the divine guards of the Fifth Corps.

After having been ground and tempered by the Eight Desolation and Torment Formation, the divine guards of the Fifth Corps gained a distinctive stern and solemn aura. They certainly did not look like the band of amateurs that everyone was so readily expecting. The crowd that originally felt that the Fifth Corps was destined to take the last place suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.

Andre and Wallace grew to admire Han Shuo even more. His ability to train the Fifth Corps divine guards up to this level in such a short time was phenomenal. Even Wallace did not have the confidence to accomplish this amazing feat.

“It seems that the Fifth Corps might not take the bottom place after all!” said Wallace after he turned to Andre, who was standing abreast.

Andre squinted and smiled. Then, in a somewhat delighted manner, he suggested, “Elder brother, Carmelita is at the age of marriage. Why don’t we throw a cherry on top after the competition?”

Wallace stared blankly for a moment before he asked, “What do you mean?”

“The House of Han is rapidly rising in influence and power. Bryan even can injure Hofs of Hushveil City. If things continue to develop in this trend, it is only a matter of time before their interests overlap with our House of Sainte’s. In the end, the House of Han might leave the City of Shadows. However, if Carmelita is married to the youngster, everything will be easily solved! What do you think, brother?”

Wallace had not considered the possibility before. After hearing Andre’s words, Wallace sank deep in thought.